A traditional piano contains 7 octaves plus a minor third and 88 keys. A handheld wireless electronic device with a touch-sensitive screen input can run a virtual keyboard program that allows a user to play and record music. However, due to size dimensions of current devices only a fraction of a full 88-key keyboard is displayed on the touch-sensitive screen at a time. For example, an electronic device with a touch-sensitive screen input can display only one or two octaves of a musical keyboard at a time and still display keys that are large enough for ordinary users to play. However, users may wish to access other keys and octaves of a full 88-key keyboard for more options in creating sounds and music.
Current virtual keyboards on a handheld electronic device with a touch-sensitive screen input can allow a user to change the octaves displayed on the touch-sensitive screen by accessing a “+” or “−” button. For example, by pressing a “+” button, the user can cause the touch-sensitive display to show higher octaves, one octave shift higher for each press. Similarly, by pressing a “−” button, the user can cause the touch-sensitive display to show lower octaves, one octave shift lower for each press.
However, this implementation has limitations in that changes can only be made in octave increments. Also, the user must cease playing the keyboard, adjust the visible octaves using the “+/−” button, and then resume playing.
Therefore users can benefit from a method and system for scrolling a virtual keyboard on a touch screen device that allows a user to scroll the virtual keyboard to access other keys of the virtual keyboard, while playing the virtual keyboard. Users can further benefit from a method and system for scrolling a virtual keyboard on a touch screen device that scrolls to intelligent positions based on a key of a project, and that allows a user to hold a note that is no longer in contact with a user's finger due to scrolling.